Courts / Dublin / Report

Teen murder trial witness tells trial of moment he realised he'd been stabbed

Date
2022-05-13

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

The trial of George Gonzaga Bento, 36, accused of murdering 16-year-old Josh Dunne at East Wall Road, East Wall, on January 26, 2021, continued before Mr Justice Paul Burns. Mr Bento, a Brazilian national, has pleaded not guilty to all four counts, which include murder, producing a utility knife in a manner likely to intimidate, and assault causing harm to two other young men. A 17-year-old witness testified that he initially believed he had been punched during a confrontation involving two delivery riders and a man on a moped, only realizing later that he had sustained three stab wounds to his chest, back, and abdomen. Under cross-examination by Padraig Dwyer SC, the witness agreed that the Brazilian riders were outnumbered and that the situation was not a fair fight. He acknowledged throwing five to six punches and admitted his memory of the sequence of events was inaccurate. The prosecution alleges Mr Bento produced a knife during a stand-off. The matter was adjourned and the trial continues on Monday.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Teen murder trial witness tells trial of moment he realised he'd been stabbed. Charges or matters: murdering 16-year-old Josh at East Wall Road, East Wall on January 26, 2021; each of the four counts. Procedural stage: trial

When:

January 26, 2021 Incident
2022-05-13 Publication

Why: However, under cross-examination, the boy, who cannot be named because he is underage, agreed with Padraig Dwyer SC, for the accused, that the two Brazilian delivery riders were "outnumbered" on the night that schoolboy Josh Dunne was killed and that it was not "a fair fight". CNI source report